


Soft Sweaters and Stormy Nights

by AWritersJourney



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Good Boy Sweater, Hair Braiding, Reylo - Freeform, the thundertorm AU no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:53:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24347560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AWritersJourney/pseuds/AWritersJourney
Summary: She was a sand rat, the desert was her friend, the sands were where she could find solace. Jakku was familiar. Jakku never got storms like this- sandstorms, yes, but as the rain ravaged the large bay windows of his apartment overlooking Chandrila, Rey let a small sob escape- never like this.or, Rey has a deep fear of thunderstorms and Ben, valiant Prince of Alderaan swoops in to save the day. (ft. good boy sweaters and Alderaan hair braiding)
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 9
Kudos: 88





	Soft Sweaters and Stormy Nights

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Peterhollandorgana](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peterhollandorgana/gifts).



> Let's give fic writing a try after ten years.

The sky was a color Rey had never seen; an eerie, murky yellow, as the clouds swirled up above, like tumultuous waves that beat viciously against a shore. Lightning crackled in the sky, flashing violently as the storm above Chandrila raged on. Why she thought it was a good idea to move into Ben’s high rise, she would never know. She was a sand rat, the desert was her friend, the sands were where she could find solace. Jakku was familiar. Jakku never got storms like this- sandstorms, yes, but as the rain ravaged the large bay windows of his apartment, Rey let a small sob escape- _never_ like this.

Burrowing her face closer to the corner of the couch, Rey huddled in on herself, lifting her phone into her line of sight. Shakily, she pulled up Ben’s contact. ‘Hey babe, are you almost home? x’ He was off planet since early in the morning, making a quick run with Han. According to the time at the top of her screen, he should have been back by now.

The text said delivered, but remained unread as the minutes ticked by and Rey’s panic grew. The apartment shook as thunder roared in the sky, rattling the windows that made up the entire back of the apartment, overlooking the top of the gleaming cityscape. Her breath felt shaky in her lungs, her chest heaving as a few wayward tears tracked down her cheeks. She needed Ben, she desperately wanted Ben and to be in his arms.

Rey knew she was being ridiculous. She was a _Jedi_ , for Maker's sake. But, if it was one thing she was constantly working on in her relationship with him, it was admitting her feelings when things got difficult. And right now, she was scared. She was too far off the ground, too exposed, too alone. Rey pressed her face even further into the couch, practically burrowing into the crevice between the cushions, hoping to Maker it would help to block out the sights and sounds of the war that raged on in the skies.

She heard the door of the apartment click open a few minutes later and her shoulders dropped away from her ears in relief as she tugged the blanket they kept tossed over the couch up to her ears. 

“Rey!” Ben’s deep voice called out. “Sweetheart you will never _believe_ the storm outside. It hasn’t been this bad in ages. We could barely land. It took us forever to find a pocket to break through the clouds.” She heard his keys drop into the small bowl by their door as he lumbered further into the apartment, followed by the sounds of one boot dropping to the ground, then the other. “Rey?”

Ben knew she was home, it was the weeks end and Finn, Poe and Rose were all off planet, so she had informed him of her intentions to stay home, on the couch and catch up on some Jedi texts while he made a quick day trip with his father to an adjacent planet in the same system.

He moved from the dark, empty kitchen into the living room “Hey, bab---” he abruptly paused as his eyes landed on her huddled form in the corner of their overly large couch. “Hey, Rey, baby, what’s wrong?” Ben questioned hastily as he rushed to the couch. He ignored the wet fabric of his pants and knelt onto the cushions, reaching his hand forward to curl around her shoulder. “Sweetheart, are you alright? What’s wrong?”

He felt her murmur something into the couch but didn't understand. Wrapping his arms around her, he turned her into his chest, sinking back into the couch as Rey muttered against his damp sweater, the rain having seeped through his jacket as an ocean had seemingly opened up overhead when he departed from the Falcon. “I texted you, but you didn’t respond," Rey repeated.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. I kept my phone in my pocket while I was off planet, and I'm glad I did or else I’d have to get a new one. It’s like Donovia out there with all this rain. What did it say?”

“The most we got on Jakku was the occasional sand storm. _This?_ Ben, this is insane. How do you handle being this far up?” She whispered, pressing her face into warm juncture between his neck and shoulder as another crack of lightning tore through the sky. The building rattled in response to the earth shaking thunder a few seconds later.

“Rey, sunshine. You’re fine, I promise. I've got you.” He pressed a warm kiss to her forehead. “I would never let anything harm you, let alone one measly thunderstorm.” She shook her head, whimpering as another round of lightning crackled through the sky, illuminating the dark apartment in a sinister, yellow glow. 

“Don’t be afraid, I feel it too sometimes,” he whispered as a few ideas tumbled around in his mind. 

“Come here.” He pulled away for a brief moment, rising back up on his knees as he reached his hands to the collar of his sweater, pulling it over his head. Rey shuffled her hands up the couch, pushing her torso up as Ben lightly tugged the sweater over her head, past her buns and over her arms, encasing her in his warmth and in the soft, musky smell she loved. She punched her arms through the sleeves, huffing as the sweater dwarfed her.

She would never admit it, but seeing him in something so soft and relaxed was one of her favorite things, but the sweater was also beyond comfortable from years of wear, so there was that too. She heard him chuckle as she fidgeted, trying to get the sweater over her hips without lifting her body off the couch. 

Rey paused as his hands pulled the sweater the rest of the way before lifting towards her head. Ben swept his fingers through her hair, loosening the light knots that made up her buns, allowing her hair to sweep across her the tops of her shoulders. He took a moment to lightly massage her scalp, pressing kisses along her hairline as she leaned into his chest. His heart swelled. Maker, how he loved this woman. 

“Rey?” He whispered, not wanting to disturb the peace he had hopefully lulled her into. She hummed in acknowledgment, wincing as the sky let out another violent boom of thunder. “May I braid your hair?” Ben knew he wasn’t a man of words like his father, but braiding hair was the best way he knew to show his love for her.

It wasn’t only a part of his culture, but was ingrained into him from birth as a means of respect and affection. He was braiding hair from the moment he could hold his arms up, looping strands of his mother’s chocolate locks through his fingers and around her head. He would give anything to braid Rey’s hair at this moment.

Her minute movements to get comfortable paused before she nodded her head against his chest. 

“Please,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to his chest as his fingers lightly pressed into her scalp a final time before pulling away.

“Thank you, baby, thank you so much. Can you lean forward for me?” He shuffled around so he was leaning against the couch, Rey maneuvering to put herself between his legs, her back to his chest as she tilted her legs up and rested her chin against her knees, her eyes falling shut as he hummed behind her. Ben’s fingers swept into her hair, pulling it back over her shoulders as he adeptly started sectioning pieces at her hairline. For every precise movement, he pressed a kiss against her shoulder, against the column of her neck, to the shell of her ear.

He worked quickly but gently, weaving strands through his fingers as the braid took form, something light and beautiful. Everything Rey was that he wasn’t. If he hadn’t already known, he would have come to the realization in this moment. Even in the braids he was crafting, she was his exact opposite, the light to his dark, the airy, wispy water of change to his stubbornly roaring, tumultuous fire. 

“I love you,” he murmured against the top of her head as he pressed a final kiss to her hair, draping the finished braid back onto her shoulder as she turned in his lap, abruptly curling up against him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he wrapped her in his arms, bringing her back down to the couch. He curled around her, sheltering her from the views of the large bay windows as she dozed against him, against the strong beating of his heart. “I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he pressed a kiss to her lips, tucking her head under his chin, “I’ll always have you.”

As the storm raged on outside, Ben knew he would brave even the worst of weather or any war in order to keep the treasure in his arms safe. She had given up so much to be with him. She was not only his other half and his entire world, but his galaxy and he would gladly orbit around her, protecting her til his final days despite whatever clouds or storms got in his way.


End file.
